Stars Come Out for Poker Awards
31 January 2006
LAS VEGAS – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Card Player magazine, "The Poker Authority", is rolling out the red carpet on February 15th at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Los Angeles, CA for the poker industries first Player of the Year Awards Banquet gala.
Co-sponsored and produced exclusively by Bodog, the 21st century digital and online entertainment powerhouse, the awards show will feature Hollywood and poker superstars gathering for the game's most coveted prizes. Card Player magazine's 2005 Player of the Year Award and a number of other awards, including Card Player's "Lifetime Achievement Award, will be doled out.
The event, being MC'd by Everybody Loves Raymond funnyman Brad Garrett, is billed as the "Oscars" of the poker industry. "
For the first time, the poker world will get what it deserves: a first-class awards banquet to honor all the professionals who have helped grow this industry into a mainstream sport," says Card Player Media Chairman Barry Shulman. "Thanks to our partnership with Bodog, Hollywood will not only experience the best award show, but also get a chance to rub shoulders with the true poker superstars."
The 2005 Player of the Year award was locked up by Men "The Master" Nguyen. Nguyen's 16 final tables and $973,620 in earnings secured him the top seed among poker's most lethal players.
In addition to the prestigious Player of the Year award, eight additional awards will be announced at the Awards Banquet on February 15th. Poker's top players voted on the best cash game player, poker's top ambassador, the best no-limit player, most entertaining player, best heads-up player, best mixed-game player, most feared player and most underrated player.
Two additional awards, favorite overall poker player and best celebrity poker player, comprise Card Player's People's Choice Awards. After weeks of online voting at CardPlayer.com and thousands of votes cast, Card Player has narrowed votes to a final nominee list.
Final nominees for favorite poker player include Doyle Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreneau. And finalists for best celebrity player include Gabe Kaplan, Tobey McGuire and Jennifer Tilly.
"In helping to grow the poker industry as a whole and to bring more exposure to the stars of poker, the players -- the Player of the Year Awards Show will further cement poker's prominence in the mainstream -- and Bodog.com is proud to be the gala's exclusive sponsor," says Calvin Ayre, Bodog.com Founder and CEO, and host of the awards show.